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Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot was brutally slammed by William Kelly, an Emmy award-winning broadcaster, in a city council meeting that took place on Wednesday, March 15. Kelly filed a lawsuit against the mayor for allegedly rescinding his media credentials.
Kelly stated that he was asking the mayor "obvious questions" about crimes in Chicago, and instead of answering his questions, Lori told him that the rate of crimes in the city had decreased.
The journalist continued that he was going viral on a daily basis, which affected Lori’s reelection campaign. Kelly then claimed that Lori Lightfoot had revoked his media credentials as punishment for his ongoing criticism of her leadership. William Kelly argued:
“That should never happen in a free country.”
He further requested the city council to remove the media credential process from the next mayor of the city as well as the next police superintendent and hand it over to the Constitution.
William Kelly tells Lori Lightfoot to pack her bags after the meeting and get out of his city
William Kelly, who has been a frequent adversary of Lori, reprimanded the outgoing mayor during the city council meeting for her perfunctory leadership, including her approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After accusing her of repealing his media credentials, Kelly said that he felt it was more of a "victim impact statement" than a public comment. However, he claimed that what Lori Lightfoot had done to him was nothing compared to what she had done to Chicago, the city where he was born and raised and the city that he loves with all his heart.
Kelly stated:
"You became mayor, the people of Chicago elected you. You shut down our schools, you shut down the churches, you shut down the businesses. You did the one thing that I thought could never happen.”
The journalist further berated the mayor by saying that he never thought that he would ever have to see Chicago being brought down so low that Lori has managed to bring it down. Kelly added:
"Shame on you."
He continued by saying that future historians will have a hard time understanding how Lori Lightfoot ever became the mayor of Chicago. Kelly claimed that he intended to write the book himself and make sure that there was at least some possible way for the city to move forward.
At the end of his public comments, William Kelly said:
"I hope that you realize what damage you’ve done to the city. I hope that after today’s city council meeting, you will pack your suitcase and get the h*ll out of my city.”
After Kelly's last statement, Lori's ally Ald. Garza responded, which was not clearly heard in the footage. However, it prompted the journalist to add:
"You are a pandemic."
Speaking about his strong comments about Lori Lightfoot in Wednesday’s city council meeting, Kelly told “Fox & Friends” host Steve Doocy on Thursday that even if Lori did not pull his press credentials, he still would not have had the chance to ask her questions or speak on behalf of the people of Chicago after the city council meeting as Lori canceled her post-meeting press conference.
The 60-year-old outgoing Democratic mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, was elected in 2019. She lost a re-election bid last month. She came under fire for spiking crime in the city during her tenure. Chicago’s homicide rate spiked by 40% last year in 2022 since she became the mayor. The city of Chicago reported 800 murders in 2021, the most in twenty-five years.
Lori also developed a conflicting relationship with the city's press corps, prompting her to limit the access of Freedom of Information in public records. Lori Lightfoot blamed gender bias and racism after losing her re-election bid. She also publicly argued with police unions and powerful city teachers.
William Kelly has been the host of the Citizen Kelly Show
William J. Kelly is a radio and print journalist, apart from being a TV host. He is known for his forthright investigative reporting on Chicago crime. His frequent questioning of outgoing Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot has regularly gone viral, earning him millions of views while putting the mayor’s failures on violent crime in the city into the national spotlight.
Kelly’s journalism career began when he started working at the City News Bureau as a reporter. He later wrote “Man About Town Column” for TCW Magazine, leading the Chicago FOX affiliate to fix a deal with him.
Formerly, he held the position of Executive Director of Taxpayers United of America, which protects taxpayer rights. Kelly also ran for Congress against Rep. Bobby Rush in the First Congressional District. He famously confronted Bobby at his press conference about his tax liens and revealed that the congressman owed $50,000 in unpaid child support and back taxes. It made headlines as well.
William Kelly is currently a contributor to the Daily Mail and the Daily Caller. He was also a blogger for the Midwest Correspondent for Newsmax and the Washington Times. Kelly has been the longtime host of the radio program Citizen Kelly Show.
